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February 13, 2014

Photo courtesy of Pfriem Family Brewers

Pfriem Family Brewers Belgian Strong Blonde

By Erin James

According to Pfriem Family Brewers in Hood River, Ore., it is Flemish table-side protocol to allow your host to offer a toast before sipping your suds. According to Pfriem Family Brewers, this is not the case when it comes to their Belgian Strong Blonde. The two-year-old brewery is indisputably Northwest in style, but given brewmaster and owner Josh Pfriem’s Euro-approach from his Chuckanut Brewery upbringing in Bellingham, Wash., Belgian brewing was in his blood. Pfriem’s Belgian Strong Blonde is worth the wait, whether you follow Flemish etiquette or not—immensely aromatic with clove, nutmeg, pound cake, pear and traces of banana with a citrus back. Mildly sweet malts and creamy bread flavors are leveled with more citrus, an adequate amount of bitterness and lively effervescence, giving those who did wait a quenchable and quaffable beer to succumb to.